


We Can Be Seventeen

by TheTinySapling



Category: Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe
Genre: F/F, Modern AU, Multi, Romance, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Veronica is meme trash and a spazz
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-13
Updated: 2017-11-10
Packaged: 2018-10-04 02:40:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10265780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTinySapling/pseuds/TheTinySapling
Summary: A chansaw interpretation of events if J.D. had never transferred to Westerberg. Spoiler alert: nobody dies.





	1. Class Is Boring. Heather Chandler Is Distracting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize that the flashback is the main bulk of this chapter. I'm still trying to find my groove in this whole fanfic writing thing. Please have patience with me ^_^
> 
> Rated M for vulgarity, crude humor, drug/alcohol usage, suggestive content, and potential sexy times in the future

Veronica was bored.

It was the last class period of the day and it seemed like it just wouldn't end. Their usual teacher Mrs. Dixon was out sick, and they were stuck with some random teacher's aide who hadn't even bothered with roll call before popping in a documentary and kicking back at the teacher's desk. _Glad to see he takes his job so seriously._

Normally this would be the perfect opportunity to doze off without getting into trouble, but Veronica was surprisingly awake at the moment. Something she didn't think could be a bad thing until now. _Ugh, this is what I get for being responsible and going to bed before midnight. Mr. and Mrs. Dunnstock, I love you guys, but going to bed at 10 p.m. should be a crime. Maybe next time I stay over I can get Martha to break some rules...Crap, the Heathers have been rubbing off on me._

Veronica glared at the clock on the wall, willing it to speed up. If anything it seemed to slow down just to mock her.

 _Nope. Still got thirty minutes before the bell rings_.

She held back a groan and slumped into her chair like a ragdoll. She looked up in time to see a female praying mantis decapitate the unlucky mate who had decided to copulate with her. _Yeesh._

 _Wait a minute...this is English. Why the heck are we watching a documentary on insect mating rituals?_ The brunette began scanning the room to see if anyone else had noticed the disconnect. As far as she could tell, the rest of the class was none the wiser. Or they just didn't give a shit. Could go either way really.

Being seated in the middle and off to the side of the classroom, Veronica had the perfect vantage point from which to observe her classmates. _People watching can be fun right?_ Even in the relative darkness of the room she could see most of them clearly.

Heather Duke—seated near the front and hardly more than a yard away from the teacher's desk—had her phone out and was blatantly texting someone.

Heather McNamara sat on the opposite side of the room from Veronica. Her head slowly descending towards her desk before she startled herself awake, only to find herself falling asleep again moments later and repeating the process.

Ram may or may not have been sleeping with his eyes open. They were glazed over and a little drool was running down the side of his partially open mouth. That could just have been his natural state though.

To Veronica's surprise, Kurt was actually paying attention to the video—a look of horror on his face while he cupped his nether region protectively. Perhaps someone might learn something from this class after all.

The rest of the class was either asleep, staring blankly at the screen, or messing around on their phones (albeit with far more subtlety than Duke).

Veronica craned her head a little further to look at the rearmost seats. She caught the eye of Martha who smiled and waved before returning to doodling happily in her notebook. _Freakin' adorable. And doodling is actually a really good idea. Though the lighting in here is terrible._

Before Veronica could enact her plan, however, her eyes were drawn past Martha to the remaining Heather—the queen bee herself.

Heather Chandler was leaned back in her chair, legs crossed, arms crossed, and looking as agitated and bored as Veronica felt. Veronica wondered why Heather (any of the Heathers really) hadn't just ditched, but assumed it probably had to do with not pissing off one of the few teachers with the wherewithal to get them into real trouble. _And turns out she's not even here today. Bummer._

Veronica couldn't help but study Heather's profile as she let her mind wander. No matter how you looked at it, Heather Chandler was beautiful, gorgeous even. From her curly blonde mane and piercing grey eyes to her perfectly sculpted body and flawless skin, she could almost be mistaken as a goddess. And while her domineering personality certainly left something to be desired, it also afforded her an unusual sort of allure and charisma that had most people eating out of the palm of her hand.

Belatedly, Veronica realized she had probably been staring for too long, but another quick glance around the room assured her that the dim lighting and general apathy would keep her safe from any suspicions. Just to be on the safe side, she laid her head down on her desk—positioning herself with her hair and arms covering most of her face and her head turned towards the red clad girl. Perfect. Anyone who looked over would simply believe her to be asleep. No one would ever suspect she was secretly ogling one of her best friends.

_Well that line of thought certainly wasn't creepy at all._

As she continued to watch Heather (totally not creepily at all, really) she was brought back to that night two weeks ago when she had incurred Heather Chandler's wrath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Veronica had stumbled around aimlessly for awhile after fleeing from that disaster of a party. She racked her brain trying to think of ways to undo the damage she had done, not only to her relationship with the Heathers, but also to her new position in the social hierarchy of high school._

_It had all happened so fast. One minute she was rocking out and having a great time, the next she was standing in front of a livid, puke covered Heather Chandler._ How did it come to this?

_Veronica didn't regret putting an end to Martha's humiliation. No, she would do that again in a heartbeat. But even in her drunken stupor she realized that vomiting on and sassing the most powerful girl in high school (in front of an entire party of people no less) had been a monumental mistake._

_Now she had been branded an outcast. And if the demon queen herself had decreed it, then that's what she would be come Monday. The rest of her high school career would be a waking nightmare if she couldn't find some way to appease Heather. Of that she was sure._

_It was with this line of thought that Veronica found herself slipping through the gate into Heather's yard and up her overly grandiose walkway._ Freaking rich people. _Veronica pointedly ignored the fact that she was pretty well off herself._

 _She stood herself in front of the door to Heather's house_ —Mansion— _and lifted her hand to ring the doorbell before she found herself hesitating._ What if her parents are home? What if she's _not_ home? How long ago did I leave the party? What time is it now?

_Before Veronica's rational self could further confuse her, her drunk self took the liberty of grabbing the doorknob and simply opening the door._

_A wave of panic hit her as she realized what she had done, and she waited for an alarm to go off, to be tackled by a security guard, or something else dramatic to occur. When a solid minute went by and nothing happened, she forced herself to relax and made her way inside, being sure to close the door gently behind her._

_She felt a little bad considering she was essentially breaking and entering, but who leaves their door unlocked at night? Come on people._

_"Heather?" she whispered into the darkness of the foyer. It took her a second before she realized that no one would be awake at this hour, let alone be able to hear her whispering into the nothingness downstairs._

_She used the illumination of the moon to guide her as she made her way over to the staircase. Bracing herself mentally, she unsteadily climbed the stairs to where she hoped Heather's bedroom was located. When she got to the top, looked down both hallways, and had no idea where she was going, she decided to throw caution to the wind._

_"Heather? Heather!"_

_There was a beat before she heard a groggy "What?" coming from a room somewhere to her right._

_Veronica stayed where she was by the stairs in the likely event that she had to run away. Though she doubted she could make it very far considering she was still a bit tipsy._ Curse you body. Why can't you process alcohol like a normal person?

_"Um. It's Veronica, I'm here to apologize."_

_There was a long, drawn out pause before, "Hope you brought kneepads_ bitch _." Yup, she was still pissed. "Fix me a prairie oyster and I'll think about it," came the next condescending remark._

What the hell is a- oh! _Veronica quickly but carefully made her way down the staircase towards the kitchen, all too happy to oblige Heather's menial request instead of currently being murdered by said girl. She winced as she turned the kitchen lights on and proceeded about her task._

 _After a short period of fumbling to find the correct ingredients, Veronica had successfully concocted the requested drink. She briefly entertained the thought of hocking a loogie into it before remembering that she was here to convince Heather_ not _to kill her._

_She returned upstairs to the door of the room she believed Heather to be in. Something told her that knocking would just piss Heather off more, so she let herself in without further ado. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the dim light coming from Heather's bedside table lamp. And when her brain finally registered what it was she was seeing, Veronica almost dropped the glass she was holding._

_There, lounging on the bed_ — _looking like something out of a painting_ — _was Heather Chandler in the shortest, silkiest red robe in existence. Her hair was tussled in just the right way and even without makeup she was beautiful._ Holy shit.

_"Um, hi. Heather. Good morning. I mean, uh, good night? Um." The brunette couldn't tell if she was nervous from the confrontation itself or because Heather hardly had anything on. Maybe both? Probably both._

_"Aw, good morning Veronica," Heather cooed sweetly. She seemed to pause for dramatic effect before saying, "Well, let's get to it. Beg." She swiveled her body so that her crossed legs were hanging off the side of her bed, then leaned back on her hands and cocked her head in expectance._

_"I-I think that last night- err, a few hours ago, we both said a lot of things we didn't-"_

_Heather cut her off before she could continue, "I_ actually _would prefer you did this on your knees. I mean, how am I supposed to know you really mean it?" Heather made a pouty face as she finished._

_Veronica was momentarily at a loss for words. Heather couldn't possibly be serious._

_"Um, I'm-I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to-"_

_She was cut off again_ — _this time by derisive laughter. "Do I_ look _like I'm kidding?" Heather asked in her sickly sweet voice before dropping all pretenses. "Down!" she commanded with utmost authority._

_The blonde's tone of voice brooked no arguments and Veronica felt torn. On the one hand, Heather was a merciless bitch and acquiescing would be humiliating. On the other hand, Heather  was also being extremely hot right now._

_Veronica chose to ignore that last thought and focus on the matter at hand. She had to do this. Refusal would be like signing her own death certificate._

_She got down on her knees._

_It took all her willpower, but she managed to tear her gaze away from those lithe, bare legs to look at Heather's face._

_"Nice." Heather promptly hopped off the bed and crossed the small space between them before bending her body to look her directly in the eye. Veronica felt her heart beat faster at the close proximity, but held her gaze all the same. "But you're still dead to me," she said whilst taking the glass out of Veronica's hands._

_"...You can't be serious," Veronica said incredulously._

_"Oh, I'm very serious Roni," she said slipping back into her falsely sweet tone as she resumed her position on the bed._

_"But...But I did everything you asked me to. I made you the-" she waved in the direction of the prairie oyster "-the thing. I apologized. I_ begged _. I'm even on my knees for Christ's sake. This is- This is bullshit!" Her irritation (and desperation if she were to be honest) caused her voice to significantly increase in volume as she went on._

_Chandler narrowed her eyes dangerously at her, as if daring her to continue. The resulting stare down that ensued tested her nerve to its limit, but she would be damned if she had debased herself for nothing._

_The staring contest felt like it lasted minutes, though it was most likely just seconds. Veronica was just about ready to turn tail and run when Heather finally seemed to relent—the lips she had pressed into a thin line slowly relaxing. The brunette dared to feel a glimmer of hope, only to have it shattered when those same beautiful lips morphed into a malicious grin._ Mistakes have been made.

 _"Hmmm..." the queen bee hummed to herself. "I supposed there's_ something _you could do to earn my forgiveness."_

_"Yeah..?"_

_Heather took a sip from the glass in her hands before placing it on her nightstand. She then uncrossed her legs_ —don't stare don't stare don't stare— _and extended one of them towards Veronica._

_"Kiss my toe."_

_"......"_

_The cogs in Veronica's brain refused to turn. Her mouth flapped wordlessly a few times before she finally managed something resembling human speech._

_"Guh," she said intelligently. She shook her head in an attempt to get her bearings. "W-_ What _?"_

_"You heard me little girl. Prove your loyalty to me by kissing my toe and all will be forgiven."_

The fuck kind of medieval knight bullshit is this? _Veronica vaguely recalled something about different meanings for kissing different parts of a person's body._ What did kissing someone's toe mean again? Worship? Submission? Something like that. _Of all the degrading acts Veronica had imagined to be her punishment, this had not been one of them._

 _"It's a simple request really," Heather continued. "_ In fact _, I would say it's an honor- nay!- a_ privilege _to do so. Far better than you deserve," she finished, letting her true feelings of animosity slip out at the end._

 _The brunette searched Heather's face for any indication of deceitfulness, and while she was clearly taking great satisfaction in tormenting her, she seemed genuine about her offer of forgiveness._ As genuine as Heather Chandler can be anyway...

 _Veronica looked at Heather's perfectly pedicured foot and weighed her options. If she left now all of this would have been in vain. She would still be an outcast_ and _she would have embarrassed herself in front of the most influential girl in Westerberg. She could only imagine how fast the story might spread of how she desperately groveled at her feet._

Screw it. I've already come this far, might as well go the whole nine yards.

_Something must have changed in Veronica's face because Heather let out a sharp laugh and said, "Well, better hop to it," as she lightly bounced her foot up and down._

_Veronica grit her teeth and grudgingly scooched closer towards Heather to place herself in a more suitable position for the task._ It's fine. It's just a quick kiss to the toe. No biggie. Symbolism can go screw.

_However, despite her reassurances to herself, now that Veronica had committed to doing it, she began to feel nervousness creep up on her. This would be the first time she had ever kissed someone before, granted it was just going to be on the foot. Weirdly enough this would probably be the most intimate thing she had ever done with someone. And she would be doing it with Heather Chandler of all people...In her bedroom...In the dark..._

What? No! Not _doing it_ doing it. We're not _doing_ anything. We're just- Okay, no. Take a chill pill and get your mind out of the gutter Sawyer.

_The brunette took a calming breath and made sure to avoid looking at Heather's face as she carefully cradled her foot in her hands. She hated to admit it to herself, but the idea of putting her lips on any part of Heather's body was starting to seem more appealing the longer this was drawn out._

_To end her own suffering, Veronica began to lift the blonde's foot towards her face at the same time she bent her head down. Not wanting to accidentally smack herself in the face with said foot, she moved slowly and with great care. She felt as though she might explode from the suspense._

_Then her lips were pressed against the top of Heather's big toe._

_Heather's skin was cold, but surprisingly soft considering where she was kissing. Veronica distantly noted the scent of peach body lotion._

_She let her lips linger for a moment. She feared pulling away too soon might dissuade Chandler from accepting her apology. And somewhere deep down, she wasn't completely dissatisfied with the current situation._

_And then Veronica Sawyer did the craziest thing she had ever done in her life: she kissed Heather again._

_Maybe it was the alcohol still coursing through her veins; maybe kissing the demon queen caused_ her _to become possessed; hell, maybe she just did it to wipe that smug look off of Heather's face. Regardless of the reason, Veronica felt herself compelled to leave a trail of soft kisses up the girl's foot—almost reverent in the way she did so. Her mind was in a haze, but she could feel some primal part of herself thrill at the thought that she was caressing Heather Chandler, demon queen of Westerberg, with her own two lips. In some backwards way, she was reclaiming control in a situation where she previously had none. And it felt awesome._

_It wasn't until she pressed a kiss to Heather's ankle that Veronica was snapped out of her trance by a sharp intake of breath coming from above her._

_Time seemed to stand still as comprehension very slowly dawned on Veronica. She felt a cold ball of dread snake its way down her throat and into her stomach._

...Oh...My...God...

_With courage she didn't know she was capable of, Veronica chanced to look up to gauge Heather's reaction. She expected to see an expression of disgust, anger, or perhaps even sadistic satisfaction. Instead, Heather looked shocked and—dare she think it—flustered. Maybe Veronica was just delusional (which was a very real possibility at that point), but she could have sworn she saw just the barest hint of pink gracing Heather's cheeks._

She's cute...GAH! What am I thinking? What am I doing? What have I done?! _Veronica bolted upright so quickly she barely missed headbutting the other girl._

_"Guess we're done here thanks for hearing me out I should probably get going my parents are going to wonder where I am probably should have told them I was going to the party but it didn't really cross my mind-" Veronica's body and vocal chords were on autopilot as she made finger guns at Heather and continued to babble incoherently, "-guess I'll see you Monday you know the usge seeing as we're all fair and square now and nobody has to be a nobody anymore cause we're all good and as they say hakuna matata amiright?" She had been walking backwards during her tirade and was now at the door. "...Bye."_

_Veronica made her escape out of Heather's bedroom and down the staircase with surprising speed, only tripping on the very last step and catching herself before she could faceplant. She was out the front door and about to slam it behind herself when she paused, flipped the lock on the inside of the door, closed it, and checked to make sure it was secure._ Safety first.

_The adrenaline rush seemed to flush out the remaining alcohol from her system and she ran like her life depended on it. Only when Veronica had gotten more than two blocks away did she stop for breath._

_She had a moment of silence for her clearly lost sanity before starting on her long walk home. Both her body and mind were exhausted when she got into bed that night, but she still didn't sleep very well._

_Come Monday morning she was wound tighter than a Happy Meal toy at a McDonald's PlayPlace._

_Whether it was intentional or some sick cosmic coincidence, Heather Chandler was the first person Veronica ran into when she entered the school. You could hear a pin drop the hall was so quiet. Everyone waited with baited breath to see what horrific fate the demon queen had in store for her._

_The blonde took such a long time appraising her that Veronica thought she might just throw up on her again from the anxiety. But a casual comment of, "You look terrible," was all Veronica and the rest of the student body needed to know she was officially off Heather's shit list. And everyone carried on as usual._

_The other two Heathers were too smart to question it when Veronica sat at her usual spot next to Chandler at lunch._ _McNamara even seemed happy that she would be joining them. Duke...Well, Duke_ might _have been relieved, but that could just have been wishful thinking on Veronica's part. They did, however, send her semi-wary looks every once in a while. Most likely trying to figure out what dark unspeakable deed she had done to get back into Heather's good graces._

_For her part, Heather Chandler continued her rule as bitch queen as if that whole night simply hadn't happened. Veronica wasn't sure if she should be happy or disappointed that Heather made no mention of what had transpired between them, but she supposed it was probably for the best._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Veronica was brought back to the present as Heather shifted in her seat to cross her legs the other way. She felt her face heat up as Chandler's short skirt rode up her legs just slightly with the motion. Thoughts of how it would feel to kiss the skin of Heather's inner thigh invaded Veronica's mind.

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!_

She turned away from the oh so tempting sight and pressed her forehead against the coolness of her desk. Best friends shouldn't be perving on each other like that. It was messed up. At least in this particular situation. Heather had no clue the lecherous thoughts that would run through Veronica's mind, of the fantasies she would sometimes allow herself.

Veronica could now admit that there had always been an attraction since her initial interaction with Heather. The girl's natural beauty and intensity; how she exuded control in every graceful movement; the way she had circled her like a predator before telling her how she could be beautiful. That was the first time Veronica had been so enraptured by another person.

Back then she could push those feelings down, pretend it was just the fear and excitement of being noticed by the Heathers. But things had changed since The Incident™. Now Veronica felt her eyes constantly drawn to the blonde, and her once innocent daydreams now consisted of stormy grey eyes and supple red lips.

 _Maybe this isn't really about Heather._ Maybe _I just have a foot fetish that I've only now awoken to, which has thereby awakened me sexually and Heather just so happened to get caught up in the equation!_ Veronica conjured up pictures of various types of feet in her mind and imagined herself touching or caressing them.

None of them did it for her.

_Meh, it was a long shot anyway._

_Or maybe I'm some sort of masochist. That would explain why I'm friends with the Heathers in the first place._ She thought back to all the times she had gotten physically hurt but couldn't remember ever deriving pleasure from pain before. _But there's more to it than that isn't there? Like more of a domination/submission type thing?_ The idea of being "dominated" by Heather Chandler did have a certain appeal...

_Okay, so masochism: definitely still a possibility._

She was brought out of her musings by a vibration coming from her skirt pocket. She pulled out her phone below her desk and looked at the screen, making sure that the brightness was all the way down.

1 New Message

Veronica's heart skipped a beat when she saw who it was from.

 **Mythic Bitch** : Could you stop fucking sighing over there? I'm trying to concentrate on not giving a shit.

Veronica looked up from her phone to see Heather Chandler glaring daggers at her from across the room. She quickly typed a response.

 **Veronica:** sorry, I didn't know I was doing that

 **Mythic Bitch:** Whatever, just knock it off.

 **Mythic Bitch:** What's your problem anyway?

 _You_. For an insane moment Veronica's finger hovered over the y on her phone.

 **Veronica:** just want today to be over already. this class is terrible and neverending

 **Mythic Bitch:** Not to mention TA fuckboi over there. He could have played a porno and still not noticed.

Veronica accidentally let out a snort of laughter before quickly covering her mouth. Looking around to see the damage she had done, she was relieved to see no one had really noticed.

 **Mythic Bitch:** Nice one loser.

She glanced up to see Heather giving her a smirk that could almost be considered affectionate. _Affectionate? Talk about delusional Sawyer._

As the conversation tapered off, Veronica made a halfhearted attempt at paying attention to the film. _Why are all mating rituals in the wild so weird and gross? Hmm, I guess the same could be said for humans though._

Another vibration snapped her out of her thoughts.

 **Mythic Bitch:** You're going to the party on Friday right?

Veronica was confused. Was Heather trying to keep the conversation going? That wasn't like her. Usually whenever the blonde would text her, it would only ever be to tell her to be somewhere or do something. And it _really_ wasn't like her to ask instead of demand.

 **Veronica:** sure, I guess so. I'm not doing anything else that night

 **Mythic Bitch:** Did you need a ride?

Veronica looked over at Chandler in an attempt to analyze her potential motives, but she was staring resolutely at the movie screen.

 **Veronica:** um, yeah. if it's not too much trouble

 **Mythic Bitch:** Alright. I'll have Heather pick you up.

While it was a small relief to hear that Heather wouldn't be going out of her way to pick up Veronica herself, this was still highly suspect. It was almost as if Heather was being _nice_.

 _Oh God, is this some sort of trap? Has she just been luring me into a false sense of security these past two weeks only to turn around and completely destroy everything I hold dear?_ Thoughts of a wildly flailing Admiral Ackbar came to mind.

_No, there's no way she could have tolerated me for this long if that was the case. She may be diabolical but she certainly isn't patient. This was probably just a fluke. Maybe she's on her period and it's making her feel actual human emotions._

Veronica immediately felt bad for thinking that, but it wasn't entirely off the mark.

She supposed she would just have to wait to see what Friday had in store for her. And hey, if she spent the remainder of class sneaking looks at Heather Chandler, who could blame her right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are enjoying my very first fanfic attempt ever. Kudos and comments are very much appreciated. Writing tips are also welcome, but please be gentle, I don't think my delicate ego can take the flames. 
> 
> I'd like to give props to sakurakyouko's Heather Cubed fanfic for partially inspiring the text message portions. While I don't believe any of the content is the same, I probably wouldn't have thought to use it as a writing device otherwise <3


	2. Party Hard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for implied foiled date rape

"Fuck, shit, balls, tits!" Heather Duke shouted drunkenly.

Friday had rolled around and true to her word Chandler had enlisted Heather Duke as Veronica's ride for the night.

Veronica had never really been left alone with just Duke before. There had never been a need and the girl was usually disinclined to be separated from the other two Heathers for very long. Veronica assumed the car ride would be painfully awkward but was pleasantly surprised when the other girl had struck up conversation of her own volition. Mostly she ranted about the incompetence of the other members of yearbook while Veronica listened, but it had been nice all the same. Veronica didn't know she took her job as head of yearbook committee so seriously. Honestly, she didn't think Heather Duke could be passionate about _anything_ aside from being popular.

It was a rare thing to catch a glimpse beyond the popular girl personas the Heathers had so meticulously constructed, but it was always nice actually getting to know the girls she considered her best friends. Which is why she found herself sticking with Duke once they got to the party.

"Damn it you bitch. You were supposed to suck at this," the Asian girl said accusingly before drinking from her last red cup.

She had just suffered a humiliating defeat at a game of beer pong—to Veronica of all people. Veronica didn't have the heart to point out that Duke probably shouldn't have challenged her when the girl was already half drunk. As for Veronica, she had long since learned her lesson from the night of The Incident™ and now staunchly avoided any heavy liquor.

She smiled and held up her hands in a placating manner. "Beginner's luck?"

"Yeah yeah, whatever," Duke said, slapping a five dollar bill to Veronica's chest before wandering off to use the little girl's room.

Veronica held out the dollar to find that Abraham Lincoln had been expertly drawn over with pen and now appeared to be performing fellatio on a disembodied penis. _Poor Abe._

With the party in full swing and Veronica lightly buzzed, she decided now was as good a time as any to explore and observe the human teenager in its natural habitat.

Veronica couldn't recall whose house this was, but she was really "digging the scene," as the old, young people used to say. The living room, kitchen, and backyard patio were the main hubs of activity, but seamlessly spilled out into the rest of the house. Wherever there was room, a sea of bodies moved and gyrated to the rhythm of the pounding music, some with far more coordination and motor skills than others. Most of the lights had been dimmed and someone even had the forethought to bring a few strobe lights to place around the makeshift dance floors. And of course, what party would be complete without couples and one night stands making out in every secluded (or not) corner of the house. Drunken revelry and debauchery abounded, and somewhere someone was breaking something. Whether it was a condom or an irreplaceable China cabinet was anyone's guess.

Veronica passed by a room with an entertainment center to see Heather McNamara flirting with a group of boys.

"So~ how do you double jump again?" McNamara asked coyly. The boys practically fell over themselves trying to show her which buttons to press on the controller.

When Heather caught sight of her in the doorway and gave her a subtle wink and smile, Veronica got the sneaking suspicion the blonde knew far more about playing Super Smash Bros than she was letting on. Veronica returned the smile whilst shaking her head fondly and continued on her way.

As she drifted through the crowd without much purpose, she wondered where Heather Chandler had gotten off to. Despite essentially being the one to invite Veronica to the party in the first place, Heather had only briefly acknowledged her before leaving to make her rounds.

_She's probably busy threatening and/or charming some of her loyal subjects. Guess being the demon queen is a fulltime job._

Just as Veronica finished thinking this, someone ran right into her.

"Oof!"

The person in question had immediately leaned their entire bodyweight against her and she struggled to stay upright. When she felt arms wrap around her waist she prepared herself to administer a good groin kick to whatever idiot thought it was a good idea to get handsy with her.

She was just about to bring her leg upwards when she realized how soft and feminine the body of her assailant was. While she couldn't see the face of the other person, golden tresses and an unmistakable red scrunchie revealed exactly who had jumped her.

"H-Heather??" Veronica was baffled. Why the heck was Heather Chandler suddenly embracing her in the middle of a party? Her heart began to pound faster, and her head swam with half a dozen different fantasies of hers that may or may not have started out just like this.

"Roni." The nickname was mumbled so quietly, had it not been for their close proximity, she would have missed it over the pounding of the music.

Those two syllables were all Veronica needed to know that something was wrong. They sounded weak and held none of the artificial sweetness she was used to hearing in Heather's tone of voice. It hit her then that Chandler wasn't holding onto her because she wanted to, but because she wasn't capable of standing on her own.

_What the heck is going on? No way she's blackout drunk. Her alcohol tolerance is higher than Duke's and that girl is still pounding them back like there's no tomorrow._

Just then, something in Veronica's gut urged her to look up, and she peered further down the crowded hallway to see a guy she didn't recognize. He was of average build with long dirty blonde hair slicked back into a neat ponytail and the beginnings of a goatee. While he was well-groomed and arguably handsome, there was something decidedly unnerving about him.

And he was staring directly at Heather with a look that made Veronica's skin crawl.

As if sensing her gaze, his head snapped up and suddenly they were locking eyes. For that briefest of moments, time seemed to slow to a crawl, and Veronica felt a chill run down her spine. Then the moment was over and he swiftly turned to disappear into the throng of partygoers.

Veronica took a moment to process all this information. Two and two began to come together to form a conclusion and she could feel her blood boil. _Mother fucking-!_ She had half a mind to chase the guy down and separate him from his family jewels, but she had more pressing matters to attend to right now.

As she readjusted to get a better grip on the blonde, Veronica went over her options.

Calling the cops was out of the question. Almost everyone there was underage and either drunk or blazed out of their minds. If she blew the whistle there could be some serious fallout, and she had no intention of narking on her friends and classmates. Not to mention there was no concrete evidence of foul play. One blacked out girl at a party was hardly an abnormality. In any case, she was sure getting the police involved was sure to do more harm than good.

She entertained the idea of calling over Heather and Heather for help, but chances were Chandler would be pissed if any attention was called to her current defenseless state. Heather was always in absolute control. _Always_. It wouldn't matter what terrible fate Veronica had just inadvertently saved her from if her reputation were to be tarnished. _This girl and her priorities._

She decided her best option was to find somewhere safe and secluded to let the girl sleep off whatever substance she had most likely been slipped.  

"Yo, Heather. Do you think you can walk?" Veronica spoke quietly to avoid drawing attention.

"Muuhhh," was the only response she got. At least the blonde was still semi-conscious. Sort of. Not really.

Probably looking far more suspicious than she would have liked, Veronica half dragged the other girl to the closest room she could find before throwing the door open unceremoniously. Luckily it just so happened to be a spare bedroom. Unfortunately, it was currently occupied.

"The fuck man?!" A boy exclaimed as the girl underneath him on the bed simultaneously shrieked and pulled the covers over herself. They appeared to have just started getting frisky before the interruption.

Veronica was in no mood to be embarrassed or polite and merely shouted, "Out!" with an authority Heather herself would be proud of.

They must have recognized her because as soon as they got a look at her face they were springing out of bed to hastily dress themselves. _Whoa, rolling with the Heathers has more perks than I thought._

Once they were mostly dressed and out the door, Veronica kicked it shut with her foot. Carrying Heather the rest of the way to the bed, she flipped over the covers in order to tuck the girl in. She tried not to think about how many sex crazed teenagers had probably gotten busy in this very bed. _Note to self: burn all articles of clothing later._

She tried to make the now fully unconscious girl as comfortable as possible. _Shoes off? Check. Socks off? Check. Not ogling those long legs? Really not the time Veronica._

She used some of the bed's pillows to prop Heather on her side, just in case she needed to vomit during the night. When she was certain the blonde was as comfy as she was going to get, she gave the room a quick onceover. Only when she finished searching for any hidden rapists/murderers— _You never know_ —and locked the door did she allow herself a moment of respite.

After composing herself she returned to Heather's side to regard her somewhat worriedly. _People don't die from getting roofied do they?_ She whipped out her phone and sifted through the first few Google results that popped up for "roofied." _Shit, some people never wake up if the dosage is wrong. I can't believe I'm actually thinking this, but I hope that rape-y son of a bitch knows what he's doing._

Veronica somehow managed to keep her cool. Still, she bent down and pressed her ear to Heather's chest, listening to her heartbeat for a full minute before she could convince herself the girl was still very much alive.

Not being bold enough to lie down next to Chandler on the bed, Veronica opted to sit down on the floor. She crossed her arms on top of the bed and laid her head on them so she could look at Heather. It felt a little like taking advantage of the situation to watch the other girl sleep, all things considered, but Veronica allowed herself this indulgence just this once. She could beat herself up over it later when the blonde's health wasn't potentially at risk.

She had never seen Heather so unguarded before, never had an opportunity to study her features without the fear of being discovered. The blonde looked so peaceful, so soft and vulnerable in that moment.

Here was the almighty queen of Westerberg and she had been laid low by some random creep at a party. Veronica felt a tug at her heart and an intense feeling of protectiveness blossomed in her chest. She pushed down the fear she could also feel seeping into her bones, refused to let herself think about what might have happened if she hadn't been in the right place at the right time. _If I ever see that piece of subhuman garbage again he's going to get a swift punch to the dick._

Resolute in her mission to look after the prone girl, Veronica sat there for who knows how long, watching her breathing for irregularities, feeling her temperature, and checking her pulse point. And as Veronica continued to keep watch over her charge, she considered the terrifying possibility that her feelings for Heather might be more than just lust.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Veronica must have fallen asleep at some point because she vaguely realized that she was dreaming. And strangely enough, Veronica's dreams were pleasant that night. She dreamt of comic book characters—of heroes and villains. She dreamt of being clad in dark blue spandex, complete with flashy cape, and doing battle with her ponytailed arch nemesis. He was vile and cunning and had nearly succeeded in his nefarious plans; however, he was no match for her abilities, and her ultimate triumph over him was immensely satisfying. But her favorite part by far, was when her golden haired love interest rewarded her with a kiss to the cheek for a battle hard-fought and won.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Veronica woke up to a sliver of daylight shining in her eye. She let herself lay there for a while longer as she slowly roused into consciousness, basking in the warm rays of the sun. Even barely awake she knew the pain that was coming when she lifted the top half of her body to stretch. She powered through it with a low groan, even though it sounded and felt like every joint in her neck and back were popping. _Should have taken the bed._

That thought brought her out of her lethargic state as memories of the previous night came back to her. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and focused on the comforters in front of her to find that Heather was no longer in bed. A quick scan of the room only confirmed that Heather had already left.

While Veronica was obviously relieved the other girl was apparently fine and already walking around, she couldn't help but feel a little miffed that she had left without so much as a word. _It's not like I actually expected a 'thank you' from her. She probably doesn't even remember what happened last night anyways._

 _A 'good morning' would have been nice though..._ She tried not to take it too personally. This was Heather Chandler she was talking about after all.

She decided to bite the bullet and stand up fully, then proceeded to hop around on the leg that wasn't currently asleep.

After she had limbered up a little (a.k.a. fallen over and rolled around in pain for a while) she checked her phone to see what time it was. Maybe if she was really lucky she could still catch a ride home with someone. She unlocked her phone to see the time was already 12:35 p.m. and she had 8 new messages from last night.

 **Group Chat (4)**  

 **Cinnamon Roll:** can someon come help me please?? im trapped in the bathroom ive been in here half an hour D:

 **The Duke:** lmfao

 **The Duke:** good luck w that

 **Cinnamon Roll:** heather noooooooo :'((((

 

 **Cinnamon Roll:** heather? heather? veronica??

 **Cinnamon Roll:** ggguuuuuuuuyyyyysss T_T

 

 **Cinnamon Roll:** nvm some guys helped me climb uot the window :)

 **The Duke:** ratchet

 

 _Dang it. I would have liked to see that_.

Veronica stood back up and stretched languidly, rolling her shoulders and wiggling her limbs for good measure. She approached the bedroom door to leave but paused when she discovered that Heather had apparently locked it again on her way out. _Careful now Sawyer. Don't go thinking dangerous thoughts like Heather actually caring about your safety and well-being._

Opening the door, Veronica was greeted by the aftermath of last night. Streamers, beers cans, trash, and unidentifiable substances covered the vast majority of what she could see. She made her way through the house in the general direction of the living room, being careful to watch her step. In some places she even had to clear a path with her foot just to walk through without tripping or breaking anything. There was a disconcerting number of undergarments strewn about as well. _Yup, definitely torching this outfit when I get home_.

The brunette was relieved to find she wasn't the only straggler left. She would have felt pretty awkward if she was the last person to leave, seeing as she was a stranger in this house.

A couple of people who had stayed behind were cheerfully having coffee in the kitchen without so much of a trace of hangover— _sorcery I say_ ; a few responsible party guests had started the arduous task of cleaning up, bless their sweet, naive hearts; and a smattering of people were still asleep in various places around the house.

There was no sign of Heather Chandler or McNamara, but in a stroke of luck Veronica entered the living room to find that her ride actually hadn't left yet.

There she was in all her glory: Heather Duke. Asleep. On top of a boy. On top of a pool table.

 _That's actually pretty impressive._ She checked to make sure they were fully clothed before approaching and very lightly poking Duke's arm.

"Psst, Heather?" The girl didn't stir, so she gently shook her arm. "Hey, Heather D."

Duke groaned while slowly opening her eyes and lifting her head. She smacked her mouth a few times before taking in her surroundings. When the first thing she saw was the sleeping boy beneath her, she grimaced and pushed his face away while languidly rolling off of him. She took her time sliding off the pool table. Once her feet touched the floor she held on to the side of it for support as she lightly swayed.

"Who's going on? What's there?" She asked groggily, voice gravelly and eyes once again closed.

"Um, it's Veronica," she spoke softly so as not to aggravate the hangover she was certain Duke was nursing. "I was wondering if you could give me a ride back to my house. Sorry to wake you, I just thought since it was already noon-"

"Ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhh," Heather blindly tried to cover Veronica's mouth with a hand but missed and smacked her forehead instead. "Less talkie, more walkie." With that gem the girl shuffled over to the front door without preamble and sifted through the coat and shoe racks. After she seemed to find what she was looking for, she walked out the front door and down the sidewalk without bothering to see if Veronica was following.

It was only once they were outside in the fresh air and had walked the short ways to Duke's car that Veronica started to question whether she was in any condition to drive.

"Actually, maybe you driving right now isn't the best idea," Veronica weakly protested as Duke reached the driver's side of her jeep. "Why don't we wait until you're more-"

"I'm _fine_. Jesus," she said irritably. She sounded more awake than before, but Veronica wasn't totally convinced. "I'm leaving with or without your sorry ass. You coming or what?"

_I can always grab the wheel if I need to..._

She got into the passenger seat despite her misgivings.

Heather Duke pulled away from the curb and Veronica braced for an impact that never came. It would appear the girl was just as competent driving drowsy and hung-over than driving when she was awake and sober. _Huh, must come with the territory of being a Heather._

The drive back to her house happened in comfortable silence. The windows were rolled down, letting in a cool breeze and the warmth of the afternoon sun. Birds were chirping, children were playing in their yards, and everything seemed so peaceful.

But Veronica just couldn't help herself.

"So pool table guy seems nice," she teased.  

Heather Duke crinkled her nose in disgust. "Ugh, no. He was a _terrible_ kisser. It was like making out with a dog—a dog drenched in cheap booze and crappy cologne. At least I was mostly drunk by then."

Veronica smiled sympathetically. "Well at least the party was fun right?"

"As much fun as any other party I guess," Duke sighed apathetically. "Heather being trapped and climbing out the window was pretty hilarious though. I hope someone got it on video."

"Aw man, I know! I feel kinda bad saying this, but we totally missed out back there." Veronica didn't enjoy seeing her friends suffer, but she had to admit, watching Heather get pulled out a window by some random good samaritans would have been pretty entertaining.

"Ooh well, there's always next time," Duke said wistfully.

"You say it like that sort of thing happens all the time."

"If by 'that sort of thing' you mean Heather getting stuck somewhere or climbing out windows, then yes," Heather stated matter-of-factly.

There was a pause.

"You're not just gonna leave me hanging are you?"

Heather rolled her eyes but replied all the same. " _One_ story. So last year the three of us decided we should go to this rager—my idea," she said while preening. Veronica got the feeling it wasn't. "We all got pretty wasted and at some point Blondie Lockes disappeared, but we didn't really think much of it. Fast forward to later that night. Some asshole apparently called the cops and they were on their way, so we need to get the fuck out of Dodge like ten minutes ago. We're just about to say fuck it and leave her when someone says they saw her wander into one of the upstairs bedrooms. We _finally_ find her, shoved into the back of a wardrobe drunk off her ass, and she just keeps asking, 'Where's Mr. Tumnus?' over and over. Turns out she got herself tangled in the coat hangers looking for Narnia."

Veronica burst into laughter at the imagery, quickly trying to muffle her guffaws when Duke winced at the volume, but she couldn't help it. In her mind's eye she could perfectly envision Heather McNamara, crouched in a wardrobe looking incredibly confused and wondering why she couldn't find the entrance to Narnia.

Veronica spent the next minute or so getting the giggles out before finally settling down. Heather had cracked a small but genuine smile and puffed her chest slightly, obviously proud of making her laugh. 

_Are me and Heather Duke actually bonding right now? This is so weird...But weird in a good kind of way I think?_

There was another agreeable lull in the conversation as she relaxed into her seat and allowed her thoughts to carry her away. They inevitably drifted towards Heather Chandler, as they were so apt to do nowadays, and she found herself wondering how the girl was doing. _I hope she's okay. I doubt whatever side effects she's feeling right now are very pleasant._ She was busy trying to come up with a good excuse to see Heather before Monday when she noticed Heather Duke glancing over at her every so often from her peripheral vision.

"What's up?"

"Oh, nothing really..." the girl said, giving Veronica a side-glance as the corner of her mouth twitched. "I was just thinking that maybe _you_ had the most fun last night Miss Sawyer."

She looked over at Duke perplexed. "What do you mean?"

Heather broke into a shit-eating grin as she tapped her finger to her own cheek. Taking the hint, Veronica pulled down the passenger seat mirror to see what the other girl was talking about.

She thought she felt her heart jump out of her throat.  

There, on her left cheek for all to see, was a very red, very obvious kiss mark. And Veronica knew there was only one person who could have possibly left it there.

Heather Duke roared with laughter as Veronica's face turned so red the lipstick blended with her skin tone.

"Oh" *wheeze* "my God" *snort* "Your _face_! Your fucking _face_!"

Veronica's heart and mind were racing and she felt a potent mix of embarrassment and elation wash over her. She buried her face in her hands in a vain attempt to calm down and hide her blush.

Heather laughed on and off for the rest of the drive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all the fanfic authors I ever suspected of just being too lazy to update, I humbly apologize. I was wrong. I understand now. 
> 
> What even is life???
> 
> P.S. You guys have no idea how happy your comments and kudos have made me. I legit just stare at them sometimes and giggle to myself like a weirdo. Sorry if I don't respond to every comment, I'm trying to avoid just screaming 'I love you!' at everyone. But I'm so glad you're enjoying this so far.


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